St. James CC  v Reigate Priory 

11th August 2007

.

Reigate 205 - 8    St James 184 - 8   

Match Drawn

 

 

E Dack                         15

S Hamilton-Jones        13

F Karim                       11

J Smith                         7           8-0-48-0

N Shiraz                      77         12-0-53-0

A Muneer                    0

N Muneer                     0          8-0-26-1

R Boyle                       0          4-0-23-1

D Smith                        36*

R Bush                                    0*         8-0-56-4

C Woolley                   dnb

 

Back inland this week to a hastily arranged home tie with Reigate Priory after the original opposition cancelled late in the week, a team played last season on their home patch and so a return match in fact. Another boiling hot day at Turle Road without a breeze of any sort, the pitch rolled and looking better than last week. The coin tossed and Reigate in to bat, St James in the field and all seemed well with the world.

 

Jack with the cherry at one end toiled as ever without any luck, Nabil at the other taking time to find the target but once he took the pace off the ball his line and length proved too good for Reigate and was rewarded with the openers middle stump in his 4th. Jack tiring and getting picked off was replaced by Nabeel who tied up one end for the afternoon without any luck but plenty of chances that St James were unable to take advantage of not by particularly poor fielding but just by being 1 meter away from where the ball landed. Ryan took the other opener with a great ball cutting back in but he also was unlucky but fielded very well affecting fantastic run out with his quick thinking. Reigate were scoring steadily and began to accelerate and even Richard found it difficult to subdue them although he did take 4 wickets once they started striking out and they did start striking out, Nabeel going for 20 in his last over and a returning Jack went for 14 in his last. 205 from the 40 overs they received seemed a good total, the largest chase St James have had to pursue so far but the talk through tea was optimistic, the wicket had behaved itself and Reigate were full of admiration for it noting it to be the best they had played on all year ! The batting order set and out strode the St James 11 to battle.

 

Ed and Steven opened and looked good for 10 overs bobbing along at 3 an over before a ridiculous calling mix up not seen since Bank of England led to two batsmen at the same end  and so it was that the rot set in with Steven back in the hutch. Faisal in and batting with the style of a bunkered Ballesteros got a few and the missed one giving it away. Ed spooned again and Jack nicked to the keeper. Nabeel Shiraz in and looking good, Adil in and straight out, Nabil Muneer in and straight out, Ryan in and straight out, St James 7 down in 17 overs with 60 on the board, the skipper in to the crease with Reigate cock a hoop and St James looking sheepish. Calm and order was restored with this new partnership, singles pushed and boundaries scored the score bobbing along nicely and as the afternoon crept on the garrulous Reigate field became steadily less assured, and the St James duo became more confident and less bothered by the tight bowling facing them. 20 overs called and a century needed for victory the unlikely seemed possible for the first time that afternoon, Nabeel and David patiently waited for the bad balls, dispatching the inevitable to the boundary. Needing 5 an over and scoring 4, the last few overs were too much for the well set pair and playing for the draw had to be settled for, sadly Nabeel fell in the last over for a fantastic 77. Richard in to see it out with David.

 

So, what to make of the day. Great chance creating bowling just lacked the necessary luck, had all the chances been taken Reigate may well have been out for 130. A middle order batting collapse on a scale not seen for ages, 3 out in 1 over, 4 out in 2, had these men done what was needed from them then the victory should have been possible. But in the end another great days cricket seeing the first century partnership of the season, poignant for the fact that this day was the 30th anniversary of Boycott’s 100th 100, an abject lesson in not giving up and the determination needed to not do so. The loss averted and promises not to let each other down again led to a few drinkies in the bar and sights set on Blindley Heath next week.